. >>> president obama and house speaker john boehner have resumed informal talks. they spoke by phone yesterday raising some hopes that formal talks will resume on how to avoid the new year's day "fiscal cliff." across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases as we all know will kick in if a budget agreement isn't reached by the end of the month. the president also met with ceos of some of the nation's largest companies hoping to convince them of the need for higher tax rates at upper income levels. >> we're not insisting on rates just out of spite or out of any kind of partisan bickering but, rather, because we need to raise a certain amount of money. >> house majority leader eric cantor says more needs to be done about spending right now. >>> meanwhile, public policy polling conducted an unusual survey to test american knowledge about debt reduction policy. people were asked what they thought of the panetta burns planning, something that doesn't even exist. one-fourth of the people took a stance on it anyway. 8% are in support by golly. 17% opposed. >> that's ri